


Wings, Wounds and Wooing

by Reidemption (Charlie_Remington)



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M, More tags to be added, Mythical creature hybrids, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-10
Updated: 2017-10-15
Packaged: 2018-05-25 21:28:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6210781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Charlie_Remington/pseuds/Reidemption
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In an alternate universe, several animal-human hybrids exist. They feel a pull towards their mates, but if the mate is human, are unable to find them through natural means. So, under the guise of a university, hybrids are brought together with their soulmates and use the opportunity to woo their beloved.<br/>--<br/>In which Aaron Hotchner is a hybrid struggling to find his bonded until finally, Spencer Reid stumbles his way into his heart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Something Wrong

**Author's Note:**

  * For [EloquentDossier](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EloquentDossier/gifts).



> This (and the start of my Mr. Scratch fallout) is for my wonderful, amazing, inspiring (you blushing yet?) friend, EloquentDossier, who has been helping push me along and finally I've managed to make a start to this thing. Happy Birthday! And I hope this helps you feel better. :)

The first time an individual had the chance to find their mate, it was exciting and nerve-wracking all at the same time. The thrill of being introduced to “the one” and beginning the process of wooing was enough to make anyone nervous. The second time was a little less terrifying, but it also held even more urgency. The first time was a bust, so of course, the second time must be for real. By the third time, the thrill had worn off. If the mating didn’t take by then, the magical individual was susceptible to any number of side effects that were unpleasant or even dangerous. Luckily, the odds of it getting past that many attempts was significantly unlikely. Less than 2%. However, it just so happened that Aaron Hotchner was unfortunately part of that unlucky group of magical beings that hadn’t found their mate despite countless attempts.

* * *

A society in which five distinctive species with various inhuman abilities live amongst humans was bound to have its problems. In the early days, they were revered as godly species. Creatures to be admired and feared.

The aquatic species lived most of their days in the world’s oceans or other bodies of water. Countless stories were made about sirens and mermaids, talking of their beauty and danger. Really, they weren’t much different than humans, with a diet similar as well. Eating a human was frowned upon as they shared nearly identical genetic codes. And it was a constant sense of amusement to the aquatic creatures that humans didn’t appear to notice that the species grew legs when they were dry, easily passing as human if they needed to.

Canine species developed in Australia and North America and Felines in Africa and Asia. A variety of sub-species developed depending on the climate and living conditions of the areas. But most tended to have the ears and tail of their animal, rarely did one develop the ability to hide them. Later, as humans began to mate with these other creatures, the ability became more common. Of course, these species were the inspiration for various myths of shapeshifters.

Reptilian species developed mainly around South America and some parts of Africa. They generally had sharper nails that were almost claws and double sets of eyelids. Many also had scales in various places but mainly on the sides of the arms and legs and on the stomach.

And finally, the Avian or Angelic species that developed in parts of North America and Europe. There wasn’t much different about them from humans except for the massive wings and slightly altered bone density that allowed them to fly. Some variations of the species had down feathers around the chest and belly for added protection from cold winds. Their wings molted and needed to be preened with the help of a partner. But, the act was so intimate that it was common for only family members or mates to do the preening. In cases of un-bonded angels with no family, close friends were usually able to help. In cases where they were not, the angel may become unable to groom themselves in some places and over-grooming in others leading to untidy or even damaged wings, sometimes to the point of restricting flight.

Over the years, as the species spread out to different continents and began living together, it was discovered that people could mate across species lines. Human and hybrid species mating was much more common than two hybrids mating, but it had occurred. The children of human/hybrid pairings would have the hybrid DNA while two different hybrid species who mate were unable to conceive.

 As the world came into the new age, mating became an important topic of debate, mostly because humans didn’t have mating instincts like the other species. If they were introduced to their mate, they may feel more inclined to like them, sometimes experiencing the feeling of love at first sight, but they needed to be near each other before they felt the drive, often helped along by the courting of the hybrid. When two members of the hybrid species were meant to mate, both of them felt the pull of each other no matter where they were in the world. Eventually, they would find each other. Because humans did not have the ability, the pull for the hybrid individual was dampened unless they were very near their intended. They may feel pulls in certain directions from time to time, but because the other does not feel the pull it was nearly impossible to determine the exact location the pull was coming from. So, a system was developed.

At the age of 18, when a human was going off to college, if they were unprejudiced against the hybrid individuals, they were asked to submit an application into the UHHS, or Universities for Hybrid and Human Studies. Once in the system, the applications were run through a database to determine potential mating ability with the various hybrid individuals in the system based on a series of physiological, psychological and personality tests. An 85% mating compatibility or higher, and they were accepted into the university the hybrid student was attending. The universities offered various classes about hybrid history, psychology, medicine and various other topics as well as how humans and hybrids can work together for a more equal future.

As the student entered, they were given one of 5 Health and Wellness classes. 101-105 which corresponded to each hybrid species. There, they would learn how to care for any specific needs in the hybrid species and how to recognize various ailments that one would need to know if they were to become a significant other to that species. The humans, of course, didn’t know that the reason for the colleges was a systematic way of bringing mates together. But, only a select group of humans were accepted, and the prestige was enough to make nearly everyone want to apply. If one were to go into the medical program, they would likely have many choices of where they wished to work due to a lack of knowledge about hybrid specific ailments and the same was true for various other professions. So, it became a symbiotic program in all rights. Mates were brought together, many people were able to team up to fight the stigma against hybrid species, and humans were able to find jobs in the fields in which they wished to work.

All in all, it was a great system. Mates were matched almost exclusively on the first or second try. However, there were those select cases where it took more than three times, or never happened at all. Sometimes, humans didn’t fall for their mates, despite the stronger connection, they could have already found a relationship or develop one before their mate has a chance. This almost always ended in intense psychological or physical distress for the hybrid. With the introduction of the system, these occurrences had gone down exponentially, but they weren’t stopped. Systems were always going to have a few bugs, make a few mistakes. Which brings us, to one Aaron Hotchner, an anomaly in the system, 24 years of age and 5 failed matings under his belt was incredibly close to giving up all hope.

* * *

“Don’t worry, Aaron. You’re going to find them. They’re out there, they’re just taking a while to get into the system. Maybe they’re traveling abroad or doing missionary work. They’ll come,” Haley said soothingly, nudging the top of her head under Aaron’s chin, looking out the window at the dark storm clouds.

He wrapped an arm around her and sighed heavily. “Five failed matings doesn’t exactly bode well for me. Maybe George was right. Maybe I just don’t have a bonding instinct. It’s happened before,” Aaron suggested, though knowing the conversation wasn’t going to go anywhere. He and Haley had had the discussion multiple times already.

“Don’t you dare say that. George was a psychopath who developed an unhealthy attachment to you, and he was bitter because you wanted to spend time with me instead of him and knew all of my favorite things and didn’t take the time to learn his. That doesn’t mean that you aren’t capable of bonding. It simply means of all of your potentials, I came the closest. We even bonded, it just isn’t strong enough to engage your mating instincts,” Haley surmised. She was going to be an OBGYN, and a large part of family planning and pregnancy was mating.

“Which leads me back to not having…” Aaron began, grumbling, but Haley cut in.

“There’s nothing wrong with you, Aaron,” she argued, pulling her head back to look at him, fierce fire raging in her eyes. She was very protective of him.

He reached forward and gripped her chin. “If I couldn’t bond with you, there must be something wrong with me,” he said. Not waiting for a reply, he simply rose, pushed open the windows, and stepped off the ledge.

Haley stuck her head out and watched his descent.

Aaron had pulled all of his limbs in close to his body, flipping around to face the ground as it rushed up at him. At the very last moment, two large black wings unfurled and he pulled up, flapping the wings to get lift before spinning several times and disappearing into the darkening clouds.

“Can’t act to save his life, but damn if he isn’t dramatic,” Haley grumbled, closing the window until it was only open a crack and retreating to the living room.

* * *

As Aaron flew over the city, the only word that one could use to describe him would be broody. The thunderstorm brewing served as a nice background to his inner musings. He didn’t want to give up hope. He wanted to be able to hold on. Haley was helping him with his wings until he could find a mate to do it, he had a career in legal proceedings dealing with hybrids in the works and he had his whole life ahead of him. But that didn’t stop the nagging feelings of doubt and depression pulling him down. Perhaps what had been said about him was true.

He contemplated his first attempted mating, with Haley. He was hardly 18, just a kid still, no matter how much he wanted to deny it. It had been a short, sweet tryst. She was kind and beautiful, and she knew just how to preen his wings. But there was something missing. He wasn’t able to put his finger on it, but their bond wasn’t strong enough. For a while, he thought that they were mates, but he never molted to produce his mating feathers. When it was clear that they weren’t mates, Aaron sat her down and explained the whole system to her. She was sympathetic and gracious. They became best friends, closer than. They had almost romantically bonded, forming a partial bond of intense friendship, and she still groomed his wings for him. They were roommates and confidants. Still, in the early hours of the morning, sometimes she would go into his room and just lie with him. It nearly tore Aaron to shreds, but he would rather keep her in his life in every possible way than never see her again, no matter how painful the reminder was.

His second attempted mating had been with David Rossi, a slightly older human who hadn’t matched with anyone when he’d first applied, but had a high probability of matching with Aaron. It had been a little awkward and stilted. He was meant to woo this man who was several years his senior which basically resulted in him looking like a young man trying to convince his prom date to put out, and David had told him as much resulting in a furious blush. So, Dave was a little abrasive, and he told it like it was. Aaron respected that, admired that, but it wasn’t enough to make the bond take. He was also a little indelicate with the grooming, though he did try his hardest. So, the second mating was a bust. David moved on and began his application to the FBI. They were still friends, close enough that they could joke about the experience of it all, but they weren’t meant to be mates.

His next experience was with Emily Prentiss. She was brilliant and had been traveling with her parents since she was young. She spoke several languages and could very likely put nearly any man who threatened her on his ass, but there was also a certain fragility to her. Her hands had been gentle in his wings, and he’d felt a kinship with her, but in nothing more than a brotherly affection kind of way. His biological brother and he had never exactly been close. They had different interests and various familial problems that got in the way. They were there for each other, but Sean had gone off to New York as soon as he was able, always seeming to get into trouble. With Emily, he felt a sibling affection he’d never had with Sean. And, when the following year a new Feline freshman, fondly called JJ, arrived and she turned out to be Emily’s bonded, well, Aaron was extremely happy for them.

By his fourth try, he was getting desperate as was the university. So desperate that no one noticed the fabrication of George Foyet’s application until he’d already been admitted and well on his way in the potential mating process. His hands had been harsh and unforgiving as they groomed Aaron’s wings. It was incredibly uncomfortable, but Aaron really wanted to find someone. However, as they began getting to know each other, George developed a large disliking for Haley and tried to make Aaron stay away from her, even going so far as to stalk them. George was even planning to injure one of them for going against the mating process, which he had found out about through unsavory means. Luckily, before that could happen, the university, upon Aaron’s urgings, looked into Foyet’s file. His application had been mostly fabricated. He had hacked into the system and looked at all of Aaron’s previous matches. Turns out, George had seen Aaron around town. One day, Aaron had helped him pick up some papers he’d dropped, and George had been caught up into a delusion that he and Aaron were meant to be, and would do anything to make it so. Needless to say, after that experience, Aaron was incredibly wary about trying again, but Haley kept pushing him. Convincing him the Foyet incident was an unfortunate anomaly and it couldn’t possibly happen again, saying that he needed to push on and find someone new.

And so he had tried again. He still wasn’t sure if he was glad that he had or not. Beth had been amazing to say the least. She was funny and beautiful. She knew what she wanted and was charming about getting it. Her touch had been soothing, her smile made him nearly sure this time. He desperately wanted it to be true. But he had no instinct with how to care for her nor did his mating feathers arrive. So, he never told her about the process, allowing her to assume the class was just for research and educational purposes. They remained friends, but after that year she transferred to the university in New York.

And that’s where Aaron was in his life now. Five tries, five failures. Words of experts on bonding ringing in his ears in between comments his father had made to him when he was young. A constant barrage of negativity that was dragging him down. He flew up and landed on a tall building, sitting on the ledge as the rain began. Normally when it rained, he would fold his wings over his head, as they were waterproof. Now, as he pondered everything, he didn’t even bother, feeling the cold rain pound against his back, drenching his hair and clothing. He couldn’t be sure how long he sat there, considering his own shortcomings, wondering where he was going wrong. He assumed the problem must be within himself as four of his five pairings had been wonderful people. Slowly he sank deeper and deeper into a pit of self-hatred. The only thing keeping him from sinking in completely, from plucking all of his feathers to punish himself, was the thought of Haley’s disapproval of such an action and her fierce protection of him. He wished, not for the first or last time, that they truly had been bonded.

He stared out over the darkened city, unaware that only miles away, a good friend was meddling in business that they shouldn’t be. He couldn’t know that at that very moment, a technological genius was about to solve all of his problems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is based on a prompt from a meme for a different fandom, as follows: Winged-ones exist and intermingle with humans. They even require humans aid to help groom their wings. However, they also use this system to find their mates, as touching wings is considered a very intimate process. Humans go to a special school to learn how to care for wings and through a careful vetting process mates are chosen for the winged-ones. Once the mate is chosen, it's up to the winged-one to decide how to woo their chosen. The humans are oblivious to this process.


	2. The Recovered File

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Spencer Reid...And his friends, Derek and Penelope. On a dark, stormy night, the very same as the one Aaron Hotchner is currently sulking in, Penelope Garcia gets the idea to check Spencer's application to the UHHS. What she finds is incredibly startling.

Rain pattered against the windows behind Spencer Reid’s back, mixing with the classical music emanating from the small stereo on his desk. His CD collection was in one of the bottom drawers. His friend, Penelope, had tried to convince him to get a tablet to cut down on the amount of CDs he would have to buy, instead being able to buy MP3s, but Spencer was a technophobe and wanted no part in those devices. Besides, he never really bought anything more than classical, or the occasional jazz CD if he was really letting his hair down.

He was in the middle of working out a complex math equation, just for fun of course. It was June and he wasn’t quite sure what he was going to do next year. He was 20, nearing 21 and already had three doctorates. But, colleges just kept paying for him to go. He’d gotten two degrees at Cal-Tech, wanting to stay close to his mother, then after he’d turned 18 and finished up the year, he headed out to MIT to get a degree in engineering. He had a part time job at the local public library to pay for his books, apartment rent and other necessities but basically any college would agree to pay his tuition for the chance to have his prestigious genius studying and conducting research there. He was thinking that he would delve into Psychology next. He’d had to put his mother in Bennington Sanitarium a few years back, and he thought that perhaps he would start trying to work on finding better medications and treatments for the mentally ill. It was one of many thoughts that was circling around in his brain.

Then, his concentration was broken when the front door slammed open and two loud voices were heard arguing. Reid sighed and shut his notes, turning around to greet his roommates.

“…don’t you even try to argue, Derek Morgan. You know I’m right,” Penelope Garcia was saying as she walked in and plopped down on the couch.

Morgan grinned and rolled his eyes as he went into the kitchen.

“Hey, Spencer. What are you up to?” Penelope asked. She was an aquatic hybrid, and the irony of her loving technology was not lost on anyone.

“I was just working on some advanced mathematical theory,” Spencer said with a shrug, turning off the music still emanating from the stereo.

Derek, a canine hybrid, walked back into the room and smiled over at his friend. “He always makes it sound so casual. Like it’s normal that he does quantum physics for fun,” he commented to Penelope.

“Leave him alone, it makes him happy,” Penelope said back, already pulling out her laptop and heading into the cyber world to see what she’d missed.

Normally, aquatic hybrids would go into fields that had to do with the ocean, not always of course, but they tended to be drawn there. Many went on to be successful marine biologists, underwater welders and various other professions. Penelope Garcia was not one to fit into stereotypes though. She was getting a technology degree from MIT, and trying to keep her online persona running in her spare time. She hadn’t gotten caught yet, despite the many warnings of her friends.

Derek was nearing the end of his Pre-Law career. He was going to school at the UHHS in Cambridge, just up the road from MIT. They had many crossover classes with Harvard. He was also currently courting his mate Savannah.

Penelope had yet to meet her mate, but she could feel the pull towards them. She knew they would meet soon, but she wasn’t in a rush. Though it would be a marvelous thing, she was focusing on countless other projects at the moment that took up the vast majority of her time. She was reading various things about the local UHHS. There were various rumblings about it on the interweb. Some people were complaining about not being admitted, others boasting their acceptance. These were all humans of course. Penelope was also able to find her way into the hybrid forums. There were many rumblings about the courting and bonding processes and the topic of an avian who hadn’t bonded after 5 tries. Penelope’s heart went out to him. There was a lot of scandal surrounding this individual, luckily, after one of the latest incidents, the school was keeping him safe from anyone trying to access his records.

But that started Penelope thinking. She looked over at Spencer who was fiddling with a paperclip as he talked to Derek. Spencer had never talked much about the UHHS and whether or not he had any interest in it. Penelope had assumed that he likely would’ve, he has interest in everything after all. And she cared for him very dearly, so she had to wonder if he had applied and not had compatibility with anyone in the system. She really couldn’t believe that was the case.

“Spencer, have you ever applied to UHHS?” she asked suddenly, cutting through whatever Derek had been saying.

Spencer sent her a slightly confused look for a moment before answering. “Yeah, I applied when I went off to college like everyone else. I got a letter about how impressed they were about my intellect and promise but that they couldn’t consider my application at that time. I was already scheduled to be entered into the graduate engineering program here by the time that I turned 18. I had held out some hope that they would send another letter, but they never did,” Spencer said, thinking about how disappointed he’d been.

Penelope considered this for a moment before turning back to her laptop with renewed purpose. She was typing away and Spencer and Derek looked at each other with confused and interested expressions. She noticed that the database had a lot higher security than it did a few years ago. She was pleased by this after the faux pas with the poor avian matched with someone who had hacked in.

But, with just a little more effort, she was able to uncover Spencer’s file. It looked like a normal file, but there weren’t any compatibility readings. There were notes about how Spencer was too young to be considered. The mating instinct didn’t fully kick in until puberty. No one was able to mate before then. Hybrids could be drawn to their mates, forming close friendships, but they were unable to bond until they were at least 15 when their sexual desire and bonding instinct finally aligned. Usually it was encouraged to wait until adulthood to bond completely, with the sexual component that is, but there was really no way to regulate it and teenagers were reckless. But mates were usually for life, so who could really blame them for getting a head start on the relationship. Of course, there were cases of bondings needing to be dissolved, but not many.

The date on Spencer’s file was from back when he first applied. It hadn’t been looked at since then. Which means, they hadn’t run his answers up against anyone who was currently in the system. It appeared like they had completely forgotten the file was even there. One would’ve expected that Spencer would’ve been contacted to resubmit or something, but he never was. She quickly rescanned his file against everyone in the database, letting it process as she got up to get a drink.

When she returned, there was a match on her screen. It barely made the cutoff, an 85% match with an Avian, but that was enough to get him admitted. Many mates had had an 85% mating compatibility. However, she got up and brought the laptop over to Spencer. “You need to update your tests,” she said, having opened up the various tests that go into the file.

“Penelope, what did you do?” Spencer asked, a little shocked but mostly just resigned and annoyed. It seemed that not a week passed where Penelope didn’t do some reckless hacking or activism thing. He was used to it by now.

“I just, broke a few firewalls and passcodes to be allowed into the database. They’re very prestigious and 12 is really young. The universities cater to really specific areas of study and they likely didn’t want to risk you losing interest as you got older or developing an intolerance for hybrids. They should’ve had you reapply when you turned 18, but they must have forgotten about your file. No one has looked at it since you submitted it. Now update those and I’ll update your file and leave it in a place where they’ll find it,” she explained and went back over to the couch.

Spencer simply huffed in annoyance and began whipping through the questions.

Penelope wasn’t really sure what the retesting would bring. Some things changed over the years and some things didn’t. Spencer’s personality seemed to be relatively similar. He was quiet, preferred reading and studying over partying. But his academic achievements and temperament had changed over the years. The matching program wasn’t 100% accurate. It simply took a bunch of features and matched them to complimentary individuals. Only the meeting would truly determine if the individuals were compatible, but they had fairly high success rates. However, because there was so much development around 15, even in humans who didn’t have a bonding instinct, the tests wouldn’t really be accurate until that time, otherwise the matching system would’ve been implemented into some other program.

Soon enough, Spencer was handing back his updated testing and Garcia quickly input the new data. She ran the compatibility test again. Her heartbeat seemed to be picking up for no reason. The progress bar reached the right edge and then a result popped up.

**Match Results (1/1):**

**Name: Hotchner, Aaron M.**

**Sex: Male**

**Species: Avian**

**Compatibility Percentage: 99.2%**

Her jaw dropped open, but she quickly recovered, looking up to see if Spencer was looking her way. He was already back to looking at math notes.

Derek, however, was looking at her curiously.

She turned the laptop and allowed him to see what she was doing. When he saw the results, his eyes widened and he glanced over at Spencer then back at the screen then up at Penelope. His look at her clearly said ‘we’re discussing this more later.’

 She nodded, wanting to discuss this herself. She was so astounded that this had slipped through the cracks. A confidence percentage that large wasn’t given often. Sure, the matching system was usually right, but mates had had compatibility scores in the upper 80s. It was common. And yet, somehow, Spencer’s application had been forgotten and this poor Avian had gone without knowing he existed for who knows how long.

So, she did a little more maneuvering and hacking and when the dean of admissions went in the following morning, Spencer’s file would be waiting. After that was done, she and Derek excused themselves for bed, not able to resist talking about this discovery for much longer.

***

The storm brewed outside, whipping the wind and trees around. Spencer stood and walked over to the window. He looked out into the dark night and he felt…lonely. It wasn’t often that he felt that way. He had a close relationship with Penelope and Derek. He had had several traumatizing experiences with romance and chose not to think about that. Not that he had much time to what with all of his studies. But suddenly, he was overcome with an incredible sense of melancholy and he couldn’t explain why.

Soon, he was following his friends’ lead and retiring to his bedroom, and lying down. Closing his eyes, soon he was pulled under into sleep and dreamt of large black wings and kind eyes. Dreams of an Avian he’d had before, but could never quite remember clearly. He remembered them abstractly, pieces here and there. Some mornings, he’d remember flying through the clouds. Other times, he’d recall being wrapped in a warm, soft embrace, surrounded by feathers. He’d had them for years, but had never really given them much thought.

* * *

 

Bright and early on Monday morning, Erin Strauss, dean of admissions walked into her office at the Cambridge University of Hybrid and Human Studies. She was a severe looking woman, a reptile breed, and she made sure that everyone knew it.

She sat down at her desk, started her laptop and was immediately drawn to the application there. It had been uncovered from a lost file. Strauss was suddenly reminded of when Spencer Reid had applied. He had been too young to be considered and then there were some technology upgrades and various filing changes. Too many things going on to remember each and every student who had applied and kept track of them if they hadn’t been admitted before. Even someone as promising as the young Mr. Reid.

But, what really caught her eye, was the compatibility percentage. It was high, extremely high and it was for Aaron Hotchner who had been trying to find his mate for six years now. No wonder he hadn’t found him, his file had been lost.

She very nearly picked up the phone to call Aaron right away, but then she remembered the incident with Foyet. She wondered how it was that Reid’s file had been recovered. She called in a tech expert to verify that things hadn’t been tampered with. There had been evidence of an unauthorized viewer, but they hadn’t looked at Hotchner’s file, none of the protection codes had been broken. The person had simply located Reid’s file, updated it, which was good protocol as it had been eight years since the original had been completed, and resubmitted it into the system. Not to mention the fact that it would be highly inadvisable to create such a high compatibility score if the records were forged. Even Foyet had known that, only giving himself an 87%. The resubmitted records were checked against public record of Dr. Spencer Reid as well as his academic files from Cal-Tech and MIT. Everything appeared to check out, but she would keep a close eye on him just in case.

Strauss then reached over and dialed the phone. “Hello, is this Aaron Hotchner?” she asked, waited for a reply.

“We’ve found you another match…I understand your reservations, but I’m positive you’ll reconsider if you would just come in and meet with me,” Strauss continued, sensing the sad tone in the Avian student’s voice.

“Yes…I can meet you as soon as you’re ready…2:00 today will do fine…See you then, Mr. Hotchner,” Strauss agreed and hung up the phone, preparing for another long day. Though, she couldn't help but hope that finally this young man would get a little reprieve. She'd worked hard, pressing him into situations that perhaps he would've been better off without. So, she hoped she could make it up to him by finally getting it right.


	3. Time for Preparation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron is shown the matching percentage for his next potential mate and Spencer prepares for his start at a new college.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter features a new animal character that will likely be featured in several of my stories as well as EloquentDossier's stories. We created her together one night when we got to talking about how Reid doesn't seem to be good with animals that are normally kept as pets. 
> 
> This chapter is kind of filler to be honest. But the next chapter will hopefully start getting into the major plot arc. :)

Aaron Hotchner woke to his phone ringing at 8:00 am. Groggily, he reached over to grab it and conversed with the dean of admissions. They’d found him a new match. He wasn’t sure how to take that, especially with how he was feeling that morning.

He looked around the room, scrubbing a hand through his hair. His wet clothes were lying in a pile with the towel Haley had left him at the window. He’d gotten in around 2:00 that morning, exhausted and cold. Having undressed and fallen asleep, he was sore and moody. He assumed his negativity and wariness of the possibility of a new potential mate was caused by his foul mood. He quickly dressed and went out into the living room, passing into the kitchen.

Haley was seated at the kitchen table sipping coffee and reading a medical text. She was taking summer classes this year and Aaron was completing an internship at a local law firm, hoping to secure a place there at least as a clerk for when he graduated. He was top of his class and most people there had noticed his spectacular potential, so he wanted to hold out hope that at least things would go right in one area of his life when they hadn’t in others.

Aaron shuffled over to the coffee pot to pour himself a cup before collapsing into the chair across from her. She barely spared him a glance, but the small upturn of her lip did not go unnoticed.

“You look like hell,” she commented.

Aaron just grunted in response, in no mood for banter this early. Normally, it would be the other way around, but his late night hadn’t exactly made him optimistic for a morning of boring and repetitive work and his meeting with Strauss.

Haley looked up as Aaron stood and made his way over to the fridge.

“Do you want eggs?” he asked, already beginning to crack some into a bowl.

“If you’re making them,” Haley answered, saddened that her friend’s foul mood had continued into the morning. Usually Aaron was extremely resilient, though she had to say that she had no idea what the effects of failed bondings actually felt like, she only knew what she’d read about. “Are you okay?” she asked, easing into it.

“I’m fine,” Aaron answered, though it was obvious he wasn’t.

Haley stood, walking over to put a hand on his back between his folded wings. “Aaron.”

The Avian crushed the egg that had been in hand, pieces of shell falling into the bowl. He hung his head. “Strauss wants to meet with me today,” he said, knowing she knew what that meant.

Haley sighed. “What did she say? Does it sound promising?” she asked.

“She realized my reluctance but seemed convinced I would change my mind when presented with the facts of the matter. I’m not sure what they are yet,” Aaron said, carefully picking the shell from the bowl and beginning to whisk.

“It’s worth a shot,” Haley answered, though it sounded vaguely hallow. She couldn’t remember there ever being a documented case of someone trying to bond six times. There were those who remained unbonded, but the pain of going through numerous failed bondings was immense. Haley feared this would be the one to break Aaron if it didn’t work, and she knew he feared the same. “There must be a good reason. Strauss wouldn’t say that if the chances weren’t good,” she continued.

“I hope you’re right,” Aaron said, voice soft, not turning around.

Breakfast was quiet, rife with tension that Haley tried desperately to break, but to no avail. Aaron brooded silently, a mess with tension and worry through the rest of the day until he was outside Dean Strauss’s office and then the feeling only doubled.

***

Aaron knocked and waited for the Dean to call for him to enter. He sank into a seat, hands clasped firmly in his lap as he stared at the woman.

“Hello, Aaron. How are you?” Dean Strauss asked.

Aaron had to wonder why exactly it was that she was trying to force these pleasantries. She knew how he was. “I’m fine. How are you, Dean Strauss?” he asked, fairly certain the sentiment fell flat.

“I’m doing well, very well actually. I think we’ve finally found your mate,” Strauss said with a smile.

Aaron lifted a skeptical eyebrow. “You do realize you’ve said that to me six times now, right?” he asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

“Yes, Aaron. We do apologize for that, but I think you’ll see that there’s a reason for that. This morning, we uncovered a file. The young man was below the age of maturation when he first applied. We kept his file and were going to retest him, but somehow it got lost. We recovered it, and well, see for yourself,” Strauss explained, turning her monitor for him to see his match.

**Student Name: Hotchner, Aaron M.**

**Match Results (5/5):**

**Name: Reid, Spencer I.**

**Sex: Male**

**Species: Human**

**Matching Percentage: 99.2%**

Aaron very nearly swallowed his tongue at the percentage. He was speechless, turning wide eyes onto the Dean. He felt hope rising in his core, but still, wariness was reigning in him. Just because he had a high match didn’t mean that they were mates, or even if they were, that Aaron had a bonding instinct. He really couldn’t let that idea go.

“So, now you see why I was so confident that you would feel differently about this one,” Strauss said.

It was true, he did feel different. He felt uncertainty and self-preservation egging him not to accept, if only to spare himself another mating fated to fail. But the strength of his hope was soaring above everything, begging him to meet this young man already. “Yes, you were right,” Aaron said, looking back at the screen.

“You don’t sound as happy as I thought you’d be. This looks really promising,” Strauss continued, frowning.

“Respectfully, Ma’am, you didn’t have to go through five failed bondings. If you had, you’d be wary too. But I do wish to meet him. I give my consent to attempt a courting,” he said, holding his hand out for the paperwork he would need to sign. It was all very official. “Is that all you need me for?” he asked, huffing out a breath, stirring the bangs falling over his forehead.

“That’s all, Mr. Hotchner. You know the drill by now so there’s no need to explain it. I wish you the best of luck,” Strauss said with a nod.

Aaron nodded back and left the office, heart still pounding. He had three months to wait now. It was nearing the end of June, but the human would need to practice grooming wings and a few other things before the live Avian species were brought in. It was procedure. No one wanted someone who had never attempted to groom before to touch their wings. That was dangerous for all parties involved.

When Aaron returned to the apartment and told Haley the news she was happy. She wanted to celebrate. Aaron just wanted to get the meeting over with, find out if he really did deserve to hope this time. They curled up on the couch and watched crappy TV until evening. At least the mind numbing television had done its job to stop him from thinking.

But, as he laid awake in his dark room, all there was time to do was think. And think he did, about a man whom he knew nothing about. A man named Spencer Reid. He thought the name over and over like a mantra, pushing out his awareness, unconsciously searching for a link that wasn’t there yet. He felt no pull, though he hadn’t expected to. But just as he was drifting off he felt the smallest of energies. It was almost like a presence, a small weight upon his chest as if he were holding someone. It was too small to really even be aware of it, but still it soothed him.

* * *

 

A week or so after Penelope hacked the UHHS, Spencer woke to a tapping on his window. He was quickly up, despite the early hour, to open the window that he’d closed the previous night due to another rain storm.

On the other side of the glass was his loving companion, Kempe. He hadn’t seen her for a few weeks. She usually came and went as she pleased, not liking being cooped up for a long while. But she always returned, ever since Spencer had saved her from a stray cat.

Kempe was an owl. Spencer wasn’t really sure how she had come into the world, but he loved her dearly. She was the size and shape of a barn owl but she had the coloring of a barred owl.  He had found her on the ground in a park nearby, she was small so she was likely pushed from the nest by an older sibling and a stray cat had been just about to make her dinner. Spencer had shooed the animal away as the owlet hadn’t appeared to be employing any of the tactics they normally would to protect themselves. He had crouched down and within seconds the owlet had flapped its delicate wings and perched on his shoulder. He had been extremely surprised by this. Everything he’d read about owls suggested that they would be on the offensive if humans came near them. Little did he know that humans who were destined to mate with an Avian hybrid had something a little different about them. Spencer had never really noticed how birds tended to flock around him while other animals kept their distance, but he had never wanted a dog or cat like other children had, though he did miss that kind of companionship.

But on that day, the owlet had nudged in closer under his chin, and Spencer couldn’t leave the poor thing. So, he’d taken her back to his apartment and over the years, they’d developed a mutual respect and friendship. He had named her Kempe after his mother’s favorite author and she had stuck with him ever since.

That morning, she flew to her perch and began cleaning her feathers as she had been out in the rain and wind for a while. Then after Spencer had dressed, she perched on his shoulder as he went about his day. She was still there when Spencer had gotten the mail, and the acceptance letter.

The news of Spencer Reid’s acceptance to the Cambridge branch of the UHHS was relatively shocking to say the least. Well, at least it was to the man in question. Penelope and Derek pretended to be surprised despite having known for a while.

Soon after, Spencer withdrew from MIT. They were sad to see him go, but made sure to keep their relationship open in case Spencer ever wanted to return in the future as a student or professor. They made sure to stress that heavily. It was still awe-inspiring to him that these colleges wanted his presence so badly, but he would gladly take the opportunities.

The rest of the summer passed relatively quickly without much incident. But Spencer had to admit that he was excited and quickly called to register for whatever classes were still open to him, hoping to get into a Psychology class or two.

***

Two months later, he was stroking Kempe’s head when Penelope and Derek arrived home, handing him his class schedule from the mail. They quickly perched on the couch, waiting to hear what he’d gotten into.

“The admissions rep that I had talked to said most classes were full as I was a last minute addition. But she pulled a few strings for me. I have Health and Wellness 105, that’s an odd course number,” Spencer said, pausing.

“It corresponds to Avian health,” Derek explained.

“Different groups of students are assigned to a different health class based around one of the five species,” Penelope continued for him.

Spencer looked between the two of them, trying to puzzle out why they knew this. They were hybrids but he had to wonder if the colleges informed them about things humans weren’t informed of or if Derek simply knew because he’d been in attendance there. And Penelope was likely able to find out any number of things on the Internet. Spencer shrugged it off and looked back down at his classes.

“Health and Wellness 105, Avian Culture and History, Developmental Psychology, and Comparative Cognitive and Behavioral Neuropsychology,” Spencer listed, nodding his head at the classes. The first two seemed to be introductory to learning more about hybrids and the other two were based in Psychology which he was hoping to major in. He had to say, he was excited to begin classes.

Penelope and Derek were exchanging happy smiles and the room was filled with a feeling of renewal and new beginnings. He only had a few weeks to go now. He spent the time doing preliminary research and reading all of his books. He had some reservations about some of the activity descriptions in some of his courses, but he was willing to give them a try.

On the night before his first day, he slept fitfully. Only in the early morning hours did he settle with the appearance of large, billowing wings surrounding him. They were his favorite dreams and least favorite at the same time. They were the most solid, real feeling, but when he woke, he was always left with a sense of emptiness and vulnerability without the protection. He made sure to grab his scarf and a larger sweater. A hollow substitution, but it helped slightly. After dressing, he shouldered his messenger bag and was off to begin his first day.


	4. The One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron and Spencer both freak out about meeting each other and discover several things upon actually meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The official meeting, guys! (Also, if you guys want to help, I may need a little help with things that Aaron would get Spencer to woo him. Any ideas?)

His first class was Health and Wellness. Coffee cup firmly in hand as he walked into the room and took a seat near the front but off to the side. He liked to be able to see but he didn’t want to be the center of attention.

Slowly, other students began trickling in. An older Avian walked in, heels clicking against the floor as she walked to the front of the room. Her wings were brown with striking highlights of red and orange. She wrote the word _Avian_ on the board.

“Avian, of or relating to birds, from the Latin word for bird, Avis, combined with the suffix –an in the 19th century,” the woman spoke before turning around and addressing the class. “I’m Dr. Blake. I’m primarily a linguistics professor but every other semester the Avian professors take turns teaching a section of this class. Throughout the semester you will be learning feather and wing care, how to treat minor injuries an Avian may incur, chiropractic techniques for flight muscles along with general biological information. We’ll start with learning the bones and muscles different from those of a human, move on to learning about wings and grooming which will be separated into three sections: lecture based, inanimate model training and then living model training. We’ll continue with various grooming techniques and challenges dispersed in between other lessons on injuries and chiropractics. Any questions so far?” Dr. Blake asked, looking around the room full of students.

“All right then. Now I want you all to listen to me very carefully. Caring for an Avian’s wings is extremely personal. I will not tolerate anyone taking this activity lightly. If anyone doesn’t think they can handle the responsibility with the utmost respect and maturity, drop this class immediately. I will not tolerate anyone who does not take this seriously,” Dr. Blake continued severely.

The room was silent for a few moments and Spencer gulped. He was good with his hands. His years of practicing sleight of hand had taught him that much. He just hoped it would translate into this type of thing.

“Now that that’s settled. Let’s move into the biology of an Avian, starting with the skeletal system,” Dr. Blake said, turning on the projector.

Spencer opened his notebook and settled in to take notes. He had an eidetic memory, but that didn’t mean that notes weren’t a good thing to keep on hand. Plus it was biology so drawing pictures was usually encouraged. And soon his notebook was littered with drawings of wings, some sketches, others in depth drawings with each part labeled.

* * *

 

Most of the other classes passed without incident. He was intrigued by learning more about the history and culture of the Avian species. Momentarily he had to wonder why it was that they decided to split the classes up into groups, or perhaps why he was focused in on the Avian group but he was just excited to be there learning. And if he were honest with himself, which he very rarely was, he’d always been more interested in the Avian species than any of the others.

Developmental psychology was, as the title suggests, focused on the development of the brain and mind throughout the lifespan. And, there would be in depth discussion of how hybrids and humans are similar and different. The neuropsychology class focused on the similarities and differences on that specific level and thought processes. Obviously, there wasn’t much different but sometimes different chemicals or reactive ability was involved. Spencer found it all fascinating and was already anticipating being involved in research opportunities.

Days passed and Spencer sucked all the information in like a sponge. He was praised for his soft yet thorough touch when grooming the artificial wings. Dr. Blake smiled at him and they had a few discussions about linguistics and the like. He learned all about the biology of Avian individuals and their fascinating history. But then, Dr. Blake made the announcement that they would be moving to living models for the majority of the time remaining in the semester.

Up until that time, Spencer didn’t really have to talk to anyone if he didn’t want to. Everyone was polite, but he had always gotten along better with the professors than the students. But, Dr. Blake informed everyone that the Avian’s they would be grooming were student volunteers.

Not only did Spencer have to worry about grooming a live individual, which was a private thing, but it was going to be another student. He didn’t usually get along with his peers. Derek and Penelope were really the exception. Maybe this Avian would be the same? Perhaps it was something with hybrids? No, there was a Reptile and Feline hybrid that had made their dislike of him perfectly clear. What if this Avian didn’t like him? Was it going to be a girl? He wasn’t exactly the best around women.

All of these thoughts and more were cycling through his head as he paced the floor. Kempe was watching him warily from her seat on the windowsill. Penelope and Derek were sitting on the couch trying to convince him that everything would be fine. But, of course, they knew things that he didn’t and were sharing a private smile over the matter. It was basically impossible for the Avian to dislike him, or at least for him to show it outwardly. Of course, they weren’t able to tell him how they knew this, but he would come around eventually.

“Spencer, everything is going to be fine. They’re going to think you’re amazing just like we do. Now come sit down. Do you want me to make you some tea?” Penelope asked, trying to calm down his nerves.

“No. No, I’m fine. I just need to work off some of this energy,” Spencer answered, continuing to pace.

* * *

 

Meanwhile, across town, Haley was entering her apartment to see Aaron pacing the floor, wings flicking about anxiously.

“Hey, what’re you doing?” Haley asked, slinging her bag to the ground, taking her shoes off.

Aaron didn’t stop. “I’m pacing,” he answered.

Haley glared at him. “I can see that. Why?” she asked. Aaron usually went for a flight when he was anxious.

“I don’t really know. I feel like I need to do something to burn off all of this energy,” he commented.

“Do you want me to groom your wings before tomorrow? Look your best and all,” Haley offered, smirking slightly in amusement. She ducked under an outstretched wing and into the kitchen.

“No I…no, I think it would be best if you didn’t,” Aaron answered, not elaborating as he walked throughout the apartment. He was fiddling with the edge of a wing, rearranging the feathers and putting them back again.

“All right. You just want to go au naturel?” she asked with a grin.

“Really, Haley?” Aaron’s annoyed voice filtered into the kitchen.

Haley just laughed. “Relax, Aaron. There’s nothing you can do to force the bond if it doesn’t want to take. But, I’m sure that it will. Strauss basically explained that the reason you had to go through all of those attempts was because his file got lost. You’ll be fine,” she said.

Aaron walked over to lean on the door frame. He just huffed a breath, staring off into space. “We’ll see,” he said quietly.

He slept fitfully. Waking early, downing some coffee and heading for the campus before Haley had even awoken for the day. He spent a while wandering the grounds with a cup of coffee from the place on campus. Arriving at the class several minutes early, he stepped up to the front of the class to talk to Dr. Blake. He was good friends with her by now, being matched with a human in her class 5 times out of 6. Foyet had been in a different class. It was likely that if he had been in hers she would have mentioned something to the dean.

“Good morning, Aaron,” Blake said with a smile.

“Morning, Alex. How are you?” he asked.

“I’m doing well. And you?” she looked up.

Aaron took a sip from his quickly cooling coffee. “I’m doing fine,” he answered.

“Mmhmm. You’re intended, Spencer. He’s something,” Blake said cryptically.

“Is he here?” Aaron asked, looking around the quickly filling class room.

“He usually arrives a few minutes early with the largest coffee available and a backup thermos,” she said with a laugh.

“Hmm, not a morning person. What’s…” he cut himself off. He shouldn’t ask.

Blake reached over and put a hand on his arm. “He’s great, Aaron. Intelligent. A little shy but once I got him to open up in class he is always quick to share something about any topic. He’s sweet,” Blake reassured. “…and he’s here,” she continued, eyes flicking up to the side door.

Aaron stood looking around the classroom for a moment before casually turning his head into the direction that Blake indicated. And there he was, sitting just up and to the left of Aaron. Their eyes met and suddenly it felt like all of the air in the room had been sucked out. The young man looked away from him, and Aaron wasn’t sure if that was better. He felt a sharp pull in his gut, urging him to go over and sit down. He turned to look at Blake.

She was smiling at him in a knowing fashion as she patted his arm again.

At the look, he realized that he must have a pretty obvious expression on his face and quickly schooled his features.

“I’ve never…” he couldn’t even finish his thoughts.

“Yes, that’s what it feels like. You’ve never felt it before because it only happens once. Congratulations, Aaron,” Blake said and gently motioned for him to go into the conjoining lab to wait. Aaron pulled himself up to full height as he walked past everyone, rustling his wings. He was preening! He’d never done that before. Well, not with the purpose of attracting his true mate, with a true purpose. He walked over to the station he always had and sat down on the stool, torn between wanting to laugh or cry with relief. Not really wanting to do either at the moment, he sat completely still, hands folded in his lap, staring straight ahead.

* * *

 

Spencer didn’t sleep much that night, if at all. He downed a bunch of coffee in the morning and was still rubbing at his eyes when he walked into the classroom. Dr. Blake was up at the front of the room speaking with another Avian.

Spencer glanced towards the left and saw a ton of the Avian volunteers milling around in the lab. When he looked back up at the front of the room, the dark-haired Avian was looking at him, a piercing brown gaze. It was a gaze he’d seen before, he would swear to it in front of judge and jury. Those eyes had looked into his own many nights.

Spencer quickly dropped his head, not able to hold the eye-contact. A strong blush heated his cheeks at the thoughts. Surely he couldn’t know that they were this Avian’s eyes. How would that even happen? They just looked like the eyes in his dreams, deep brown and kind.

Though, as the Avian walked passed towards the lab, Spencer would be lying if he said he didn’t watch him, admiring the tall, athletic frame and magnificent wings. Strong, wide, black wings that also tugged on his recognition. As sure as the sun, it felt as if he had been held by the wings, blanketed from the world by a strong embrace. Spencer shook his head and tried to will away the blush.

“All right, everyone. Today is the day we’ve been working up to for the last month. So, grab your things and get in a line,” Blake said, and everyone jumped to comply.

Spencer wasn’t completely towards the front, but he wasn’t near the end either. He pulled out a pen from his bag and fiddled with it while he waited. They stood at the door while Blake went around and showed the next person who their partner was.

Soon enough, Spencer was at the front of the line. Dr. Blake smiled at him as she weaved through the stations. Spencer held his breath, not even sure what he was hoping the outcome was going to be. She came to a stop next to the Avian she was talking to earlier and waved Spencer over.

He quickly started over, halfway jogging, hair flopping against his face. His ears were burning and he just hoped his nerves and embarrassment over his thoughts weren’t too obvious.

“Spencer, this is Aaron Hotchner. Aaron, Dr. Spencer Reid,” Blake said, smiled and started off for the next assignment. Spencer turned to watch her go. He was brought back towards the Avian when he spoke.

“You’re a doctor?” the voice asked, deep and smooth.

Spencer turned back, taking in the messy black hair, bangs nearly into his eyes. His expression was neutral, but his eyes were warm yet no less intense than earlier.

“I…uh,” Spencer didn’t have a very articulate response, swallowing harshly, trying to organize his thoughts.

“I’m guessing it isn’t in rhetoric?” the Avian said, a small smirk tilting up the side of his lip, eyes bright.

Spencer huffed a laugh, small and a little self-conscious, but the joke was enough to allow him to take a breath. He could tell it wasn’t meant to be unkind, simply to break the tension.

“No, I have three doctorates actually. Chemistry, Mathematics and Engineering,” Spencer said, delighting slightly in the respect and awe on the Avian’s face. It was a welcome change from the confusion and thinly veiled disgust that others often exhibited when he told them how smart he was.

“That’s really impressive,” the Avian said, paused for a moment, considering, “I’m Aaron,” he introduced, sticking out a hand.

Spencer flexed his hand, considering the situation before reaching forward and grasping Aaron’s hand. “I’m Spencer,” he said, reiterating what Blake had said earlier, but this felt more personal. He looked around at all the other couples, seeing what they were doing. Some were already starting the grooming, others were still talking.

“So, what are you planning on studying here?” Aaron asked, drawing Spencer’s attention back to him again.

“Psychology…I still haven’t found a career that really appeals to me and I’ve been interested in Psychology especially related to empathy for the mentally ill and potentially the various differences in the manifestations of symptoms based on differences in brain composition of different species,” Spencer said, nodding and crossing his arms over his chest as he looked up through his lashes. He cleared his throat. “What about you?”

Aaron ducked his head,” Nothing as impressive as that. I’m in the law program. I’ll be taking the bar after this year,” he said.

Spencer nodded. “What kind of law are you planning to practice?”

“Hopefully prosecution for murder cases,” Aaron answered. Both of them lapsing into silence, looking at each other then out and around the room.

“So…should I?” Spencer asked, gesturing.

“Oh, yeah. Go ahead,” Aaron answered.

Spencer walked around, taking a deep breath and setting his bag on the ground. He looked up to see the wings unfolding before him. They were a little dull, several broken feathers and a few thinning patches but they were beautiful. Black, but when the light hit them, multi-colored hues reflected off and some of the tips progressed from black into red.

“So, you’ll want to pull out any leaves or twigs that got caught in there. I fly quite a bit. And then pull out any broken feathers, re-hook the crooked ones and then coat the feathers in the water-proofing wax from the glands right above the base of the wing,” Aaron instructed, Spencer silently thanked him for the patience in his voice.

Spencer took a deep breath, steeling himself.

“Just relax, Spencer. They’re not going to bite you,” Aaron said, a smile in his voice.

Spencer nodded, despite Aaron not being able to see him. He lifted his slightly shaking hands and gently ran them through the feathers before him, just to get the feel for it.

Aaron’s entire frame shivered and he sucked in a startled breath.

“What? Did I hurt you?” Spencer asked, jerking his hands back.

“No, you’re fine. That was fine. You just…surprised me,” Aaron said.

“Okay,” Spencer said, hesitantly beginning again. He skimmed his fingers through the feathers, searching for anything that may be stuck in them. He pulled out several leaves, some twigs and a few small rocks. “Um, okay. I’m going to start pulling out feathers. Tell me if I hurt you?” Spencer suggested.

“Hmm?” Aaron asked lifting his head. His chin had been resting against his chest. “Sure, that sounds fine. You’re doing great,” he continued.

Spencer thought he sounded relaxed, which was a good sign. He slowly went through, removing broken wings and rearranging the crooked ones. The wings would flick at odd intervals, sometimes moving to brush against his face. It was kind of amusing. Spencer wondered if it would be invasive to ask how much of the movement was consciously thought through and how much was just unconscious movement.

He took another breath, ready to start spreading the waxy waterproofing oil. He pressed down lightly against the gland at the base of the left wing. Just a bit came out, but Aaron shuddered causing Spencer to startle and press down harder and a strong spray hit his face and neck. Aaron turned at the noise of surprise, accidentally knocking Spencer over with his wing. Spencer reached out to grab onto something, which happened to be Aaron’s arm and they both went crashing to the floor, Aaron on top of Spencer.

“I am so sorry,” “I didn’t mean to…” both of them tried to speak over each other. Aaron’s hands on either side of Spencer’s head. Neither were really hurt and then Aaron started laughing.

“I’m sorry…you just have…all over your face,” Aaron said through his laughter.

Spencer looked put out for a moment, but Aaron’s laugh was amazingly contagious. He began laughing too.

Aaron grabbed his over-shirt that he’d taken off and began wiping at the oil on Spencer’s face. Eventually he got most of it off and they just stayed there, staring at each other still chuckling Spencer swallowed thickly at the proximity, being treated to an up-close look at those brown eyes and being nearly enveloped in feathers. It felt so incredibly familiar. They looked at each other for a few more moments then Aaron pulled back to get to his feet, coughing nervously and offering a hand to Spencer.

“I’m really sorry I knocked you over,” Aaron apologized again, sitting down facing Spencer.

“Don’t apologize, it was an accident. I think you’ll come to learn that I can be a little clumsy sometimes and I startle easily. It’s not a big deal. I’m still learning about how to do this,” Spencer said, a little embarrassed himself about the whole thing.

Aaron smiled at him, “Well, you have plenty of time to learn, but you really don’t need it. You’re doing just fine. If I could just make one suggestion though. Generally, you want to apply the oil to my wings, not your face. Other than that, you’ve done perfectly,” Aaron said.

Spencer nodded, blushing a bit and chuckling. “I’ll try to keep that in mind,” he said, glad that Aaron could break the tension. If it had been up to him, they likely would’ve continued in uncomfortable silence. “Well, turn around then.”

Aaron turned and Spencer was met with wings again. He carefully pressed down on the gland and began spreading the gel from root to tip on each feather. Still, the twitches and small movements continued. When he was done, he stepped back and looked over his work.

Aaron craned his neck around and moved his wings to see them. “They look great, Spencer. Thank you,” Aaron said, ducking his head a little but his wings fluttered slightly.

“I should be thanking you. For giving me this opportunity,” Spencer said.

Aaron looked up. “Well, I guess we both have something to look forward to for further sessions then,” he said, smiling hesitantly.

“Yeah, I guess we do,” Spencer said, feeling an answering grin curl on his face. He had worried for nothing. Aaron was really nice. Spencer checked his watch and startled. Class had ended five minutes ago and they hadn’t noticed most of the others leaving.  “I uh, have to get to my next class. It’s all the way across campus. But, I’ll see you on Wednesday?” Spencer said, packing up his things.

“Yeah, I’ll see you then,” Aaron agreed and Spencer hurried out with a nod.

* * *

 

As soon as Spencer had left, Aaron slumped down in his stool. That had been a lesson in restraint if there ever was one. His mate’s touch was relaxing and soft but sure once he got the hang of it. Aaron could already feel that his wings were preparing to molt to produce more colorful and shiny wings to attract his mate. The entire time all he could think about was whisking Spencer away to his apartment to be alone.

Of course, that would’ve been plausible had Spencer also been a hybrid. Unfortunately, Spencer didn’t have the mating instinct and would likely be very unappreciative and probably pretty scared had Aaron wrapped his arms around him and flown them to his apartment.

So, Aaron would have to wait. That was fine, he was good at waiting, being patient. He would make plans to court Spencer. It was amazing just to be near him after all of these years with failed matches. And having Spencer groom his wings was nothing short of heaven. To say Aaron was ecstatic would be an understatement.

Slowly, he rose, looking around the room to see a few leftover Avians, and Blake was looking at him with a smile. She waved before turning back to address her next class.

Aaron got up and decided to head back to his apartment, knowing he wouldn’t be able to pay attention in class. No one would miss him for one day. So, he walked back, laid down on the couch and stared at the ceiling until Haley came home.

When she did, she rushed over to his side. “How did everything go? Are you okay?” she asked, worried at his sprawled state on the couch.

He looked over at her and smiled. “He’s the one.”


	5. Reactions and Meddling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penelope and Derek attempt to grill Spencer for details about his first meeting with the Avian, Haley calms Aaron's nerves and a little bit of meddling helps move the ball along

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I know you've been waiting for this for a really long time and I apologize for that. Life has been super busy what with finals and moving back home. And I wasn't really sure where I wanted to go from the last chapter. So, finally I have a direction. Hopefully I can update fairly regularly from now on. :)

“All right. So we have to play it cool. We can’t act too excited or he’s going to realize that today was really important,” Derek said, resting a hand on Penelope’s arm as they stood outside the door to their apartment.

“Right. Cool, calm, collected. Three of my favorite ‘c’ words,” Penelope agreed, nodding her head.

Derek nodded back and stepped forward to open the door. Before he could even enter through the doorway, Penelope had brushed passed and scurried over to sit next to Spencer on the couch.

“So…how was your first day of grooming a real Avian? What were they like? Were they cute?” Penelope asked, all in quick succession.

Spencer was staring at her, eyes wide before shifting them over to Derek who was closing the door, hand rubbing over his face.

Spencer shrugged. “His name is Aaron. He was really nice and he didn’t judge me even when I messed up a little,” he said, voice seemingly detached and uninterested. He then went back to his book.

“Well, we did tell you that we were sure they were going to like you, didn’t we?” Penelope continued, wanting to drag more details out of him.

Derek sat down on the arm of the couch, resting a hand on her shoulder to remind her that they’d promised they’d be cool about this.

“So you think this is going to be a good experience then, Pretty Boy?” Derek asked calmly.

Spencer shut his book and placed it on the end table. “Yes, I think it will be a good experience to learn how to groom wings, though I’m not exactly sure what I’ll need the skills for. The chiropractics and injury treatment may come in handy down the line. Aaron is very nice and I’m very glad that we are partners for this,” Spencer said, raising an eyebrow, seemingly in suspicion of the interest. They hadn’t shown this much interest since he was first admitted.

“Well, what happened?” Penelope asked, scooting closer over on the couch.

“Nothing. We were introduced, I groomed his wings, managed to embarrass myself in the short amount of time I was around him, he was nice about it and we said we’d see each other on Wednesday,” Spencer said, though Penelope was sure he was skimping on the details.

“You said Aaron, right? Aaron Hotchner? Is he in the law program? I think I’ve seen him around before. He’s been the TA for some of the introductory law classes,” Derek spoke up again.

Spencer sat up a bit straighter. “Yeah, that’s him. What did you think about him, Derek?” he asked, fiddling with the ends of his scarf.

“I dunno. He seemed nice. He joked around with us and gave us more freedom than the professor. He offered to tutor anyone if they needed the help. But recently when I’ve seen him, he seems a little more severe and haggard. Maybe the final year of the law degree is taking a toll on him,” Derek suggested.

Spencer nodded, moving a hand to his lips as he thought.

“How did he seem to you?” Penelope asked.

“Nice, very intense but he was easy going too. He laughed it off when I made a mistake. He seemed a little weary at first but relaxed quicker than I did,” Spencer said, fingers moving about.

Penelope and Derek shared a look.

“Well, keep us updated, Pretty Boy. Maybe invite him over to have dinner or study sometime. I wouldn’t mind having the opportunity to ask him a few questions,” Derek suggested before pulling out his phone and withdrawing from the conversation.

Penelope looked like she wanted to pry more, but it was just the first day. She followed Derek’s lead and pulled out her laptop when Spencer stood.

* * *

 

“Yeah, I’ll think about it,” Spencer said distractedly, standing from the couch and putting his hands in his pockets before heading into his bedroom. He felt something soft brushing his fingers and as soon as the door was shut behind him, he pulled it out.

It was a feather. A primary in that familiar iridescent shade of black. The quill was broken causing the feather to bend in a weird angle, but it was lovely.

Spencer ran his fingers over it as he contemplated how it had gotten into his pocket. He hadn’t intended to take it, but he had been admiring the Avian’s plumage. Perhaps he had subconsciously slipped it in when he was considering being able to study the structure of each type of feather individually close up. Just the soft movement of his fingertips over the feather brought him back to the feeling of grooming the wings. Aaron had been so kind, not to mention handsome. Spencer tried to lock that thought down. They were partners for a project and nothing more. This was the nature of his class, he couldn’t let himself forget that.

As he was considering, Kempe awoke from her nap, flew from her nesting box and landed on his shoulder. She walked down his arm and balanced on his wrist, looking at the feather. It was much larger than her own, and she made a questioning noise before grabbing it in her beak and taking off.

“Kempe! Give that back!” Spencer shouted, watching the owl fly about around the ceiling.

She flew to her little bird house and added the feather to the nesting material inside. Spencer sighed and watched as she fixed it in and then popped back out to stand on the perch.

“All right, you can keep that one. If you needed nesting material you should’ve just told me,” Spencer grumbled, falling back on his bed. He’d been distracted for the rest of the day and kind of just wanted to sleep. But he was feeling restless and he wasn’t sure why. Sure, he hadn’t exactly been perfect at the preening, but Aaron had been fine with his level of skill and seemed excited to work with him. There was no reason for the jitteriness he was feeling, like he needed to be working on something.

* * *

 

Aaron laid on the couch for hours, staring at the ceiling and smiling like an idiot. Haley went through a load of homework, folding some laundry and making dinner without Aaron moving a muscle other than to sigh every once in a while. It wasn’t until after Haley had sat down in her chair and begun watching television that Aaron moved, and when he did, he really moved.

Aaron leapt up from the couch, hand to his head. “Shit! I need to start thinking about how to court him. What kind of dates should I plan? Do I buy him flowers or would that be seen as emasculating? I don’t even know what his favorite color is,” he spoke lowly and quickly, staring at the ground.

Next to him, Haley was smirking in her chair. To think that Aaron had believed that he didn’t have a mating instinct. He’d hardly known his mate for a day and he was already trying to plan ways to woo him. And he was worried about it.

“Aaron, relax. What did you do when you were going to court me or David?” she asked, muting the television.

“Well, you were pretty talkative the first day. We’d made conversation about your love of theatre but that you wanted to do something in the medical profession for your career. So, it was easy to plan from there. I just bought tickets to the local theatre and told you my friend cancelled on me last minute. You were ecstatic,” Aaron said, face lined with frustration.

“And…how is Spencer any different?” Haley asked.

“He didn’t mention anything about a love of theatre. He did mention psychology though and his doctorates in Math, Chemistry and Engineering. I can’t exactly plan a date around that except for maybe a science museum. What could I even buy him? A calculator?”

“Aaron! I’ve never seen you this ridiculously nervous” Haley said with a laugh, “You hardly even know him. Why don’t you just invite him to lunch to talk about those things? Generally, getting to know one another is a first step before you can plan more elaborate dates or gifts,” Haley suggested, surprised by the intensity of Aaron’s emotions. She hadn’t witnessed anyone in the first days of finding a mate, it was remarkable. She was very happy for her friend.

“Right, you’re right. Of course. I’m not thinking very clearly right now. I guess I’m just nervous about screwing this up and the way my instincts work is to provide and interest him as soon as possible,” Aaron admitted, sitting back down and resting his face in his hands.

Haley got up to sit next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “It’s all right, Aaron. You can’t mess this up. I told you he would come eventually. Now it’s your time to fall in love. I’m so happy for you, but maybe you should get some sleep. It seems today has taken a lot out of you,” she suggested, rubbing his back slightly.

Aaron sat up and nodded again. “Thank you,” he said, leaning forward to kiss Haley’s cheek. “I can’t wait for you to meet him. I’m sure you’ll love him,” he enthused before standing and heading off to his room.

“Yeah, but not as much as you clearly do,” Haley said with a smile, shaking her head and planning for several weeks of an excited and love-struck Aaron Hotchner.

* * *

 

On Wednesday, Alex Blake observed her students preening the wings of their matched Avians. Some were clearly meant to be mates, but they still acted awkwardly around one another. Some of the Avians were coming on too thick, some not nearly clearly enough about wanting to spend more time together outside of class to get to know each other. Some students hardly spoke as they preened, and that was no way to start a relationship. It would only lead to a frustrated Avian and a clueless human.

So, on Friday, she made an announcement to the class before proceeding into the lab. “As this class is about how to care for Avians as well as producing the skills to be able to have long, fulfilling friendships and relationships between species I would think it very beneficial for all of you to spend time with your assigned Avian student. Get to know them and let them get to know you. Become friends with them. This class is well known for helping each of us understand our likenesses and differences. You may just be surprised with what you find,” she said before ushering them into the next room to get started.

She was watching Aaron and Spencer in particular. It was clear that Aaron had realized Spencer’s shyness and didn’t want to scare him away by coming on too strong. But, in doing so, they hardly talked during their sessions. Which was extremely odd considering when one were to get Spencer talking on a subject it was often hard to get him to stop again. Blake believed that Spencer was likely trying to put his best foot forward as well, and he believed the best way to do that was to refrain from rambling.

Blake made her way through the couples, trying to determine how they were getting on and working out ways to help certain couples that needed it. She stopped by Aaron and Spencer, observing Spencer’s technique and Aaron’s posture. She didn’t think she’d ever seen the young man so relaxed.

“Very nice job, Spencer. I can see that you’re being very delicate and taking good care of Aaron. Might I suggest something?” she asked.

Spencer nodded so she leaned forward to whisper that he might try lightly brushing his fingers along the downy feathers that were situated below Aaron’s wings along the sides of his ribs.

As Spencer did, Aaron jumped and squirmed against the touch before turning around to see Blake there with a grin on her face.

“Alex! Don’t teach him shit like that,” he complained with a pout.

“He needs some way to get your attention. He’s doing all this work while you just relax,” she said with a laugh, gently nudging Aaron’s wing with one of her own.

Spencer looked mildly confused and surprised by the reaction, though there was a soft curl of amusement.

“He’s ticklish along his sides, Spencer. One of the previous students he volunteered with found that out,” Alex said and received an impressive glower from Aaron before he turned back around and allowed Spencer to continue.

“So, Spencer, what kind of coffee do you have today?” Alex asked, nudging Aaron with her foot. He looked back at her with a confused expression.

“Just the dark roast from the café on campus, but I added quite a bit of sugar,” Spencer said with a bit of an embarrassed smile.

“I didn’t think I would ever meet anyone who drank more coffee than Aaron, but I think you certainly give him a run for his money,” Alex commented before walking away again, making sure to give Aaron a significant look before moving on.

* * *

 

Aaron and Spencer were both silent for a moment.

“So…Dr. Blake says we should…” “Do you think you’d like to…” both Spencer and Aaron spoke at once.

Aaron craned his neck to look at Spencer. “You go first,” he offered.

Spencer nodded. “Dr. Blake said that we should try to spend time together outside of class to get to know each other better…to discover how we’re alike and different based on species. I mean, I have a friend who’s an aquatic hybrid and another who’s a canine hybrid. So, I’m pretty familiar with how we have a lot in common but other traits can be completely different. Though, I don’t know any avian hybrids so maybe there are different things to discover…” Spencer said, speaking rapidly before catching Aaron’s fond grin, “Sorry, I was rambling, wasn’t I?” he asked, returning to the grooming.

“It’s fine. I don’t mind in the slightest. Would you like to get some coffee this weekend? I know a really great place across town, much better than what we get on campus. We could hang out there or go for a walk or…whatever you want,” Aaron said.

“Sure, that sounds great. Actually, I have a project I should start working on for my Avian Culture class, but I’m not sure what I want to present about. Do you think I could run some ideas by you?” Spencer asked, a note of hope in his tone.

“Of course, Spencer. Would the coffee shop be a good place to work on that or maybe at one of our apartments?” Aaron suggested.

Spencer paused for a moment, considering on whether he’d like to subject Aaron to his roommates now or to wait a little longer. He loved them, but they tended to come on a bit strong.

“I like the idea of a walk if the weather is nice. Why don’t we plan for that, but if it’s raining we could meet and work there or head to the apartment that’s closer,” Spencer suggested, working on a particularly rough spot and noticing a feather with a stunning array of colors when he shifted it. The quill was broken and would need to be removed anyway, so Spencer quickly slipped it into his pocket.

“Yeah, all right, that sounds like a good plan. We should exchange numbers after the class period today,” Aaron said, back to his relaxed position.

The rest of the session passed with little incident, though Spencer was a bit nervous and excited to be spending more time with Aaron outside of class. He didn’t have many friends and was excited by the prospect of finally being among people who were accepting of his differences as he was of their own.

Aaron squeezed his shoulder and smiled before leaving that day. Spencer would be lying if he claimed that he hadn’t flinched just a little, despite knowing that Aaron didn’t have any intention of harming him, old habits die hard. But the squeeze felt nice and reassuring, as did the two feathers in his pocket. He found himself touching them repeatedly while he sat in his next class, gaining a small comfort from running his fingers over the differing textures and wondering what he was going to do with them.

* * *

 

Saturday dawned bright and beautiful, sunny with a hint of puffy white clouds and a soft breeze threatening the looming autumn. It was nearing the end of October, but they still had a few nice days left before the chill overcame them for another year.

And that bright morning found Aaron Hotchner sliding aside clothing in his closet, hair damp as he tried to figure out what to wear. It wasn’t an official date or anything but it was the first time they would be spending time together outside of the mandatory class periods. Aaron wanted everything to go well. If it didn’t, who knew what could happen. Even though Spencer must be feeling some kind of heighted feeling for him, that didn’t mean that the human would realize what that meant. Especially with what Aaron had gleaned from the young man so far. He didn’t exactly have a high level of self-confidence. Aaron sought to change that.

Every time he was near Spencer he wanted to whisk him off to some romantic getaway or proclaim that he and Spencer were meant for each other and no one else. It was a bit odd for him as he wasn’t exactly known for such boisterous declarations of intent, but he supposed he just hadn’t been given the right circumstance before.

And while he may not know Spencer well, he could already tell that he was going to enjoy anything they did together. He couldn’t wait to start learning more about him, and today was make or break for whether they would be spending more time together, at least, it seemed that way to Aaron who was trying on the fifth combination of clothing. Though, it hadn’t really occurred to him that clothing would likely have nothing to do with whether or not Spencer decided to hang out with him again. A slightly garish sweater wouldn’t be the breaking point as Spencer owned quite a few of those himself.

Just then, Haley marched in through the partially opened door, picked out a dark green pullover sweater and a pair of worn jeans, pressed them into his chest, and walked back out.

She had been studying for a test she would be taking on Monday and his pacing had no doubt distracted her. Aaron just smiled and pulled the ensemble on, trusting Haley’s judgement on these matters.

He brushed his teeth again, tried to get his cowlick to lie down flat and paced a bit more before deciding to head out 15 minutes early. He didn’t want Spencer to be waiting there alone. He stood in front of the door to his apartment and took a deep breath, partially hearing Haley calling out words of comfort, he pulled the door open and set off for a day that he’d been waiting years for.


	6. The First Not-Date (It's totally a date)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spencer and Aaron spend an afternoon together outside of class...for the first time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Umm heyo,
> 
> So...yeah it's been like a year since I posted anything on here? I don't even know what to say. Except that I had part of this chapter written and inspiration kind of struck. I'm not sure if I'll be able to post anymore in the future (or if this chapter even flows with the rest of what I wrote since it's been a year since I started it) but here's a thing?

Aaron sat at a table in the coffee shop bouncing his knee and checking his watch every 30 seconds. He decided he would order when Spencer showed up. He would jerk his head up to the door every time the bell rang.

Finally, five minutes before they had planned to meet, Spencer walked into the shop, fiddling with the ends of a scarf and looking around the room.

Aaron rose and met him at the door, leading him over to the queue. Only a few people standing before them.

“Good morning, Spencer. How are you?” Aaron asked looking over at the young man who had reached a hand up under his glasses to rub at his left eye.

“Fine. I’ll be better once I have my morning coffee,” Spencer said with a slight yawn.   

Aaron chuckled. Spencer really did like coffee, Alex hadn’t been lying about that. Though, it didn’t help Aaron much as he was overcome with images of a sleepy Spencer with wild hair, blinking the sleep out of his eyes after a night spent together.

They stood in companionable silence as they waited for the other people to order. Once to the front, Aaron ordered a regular latte with no whip and Spencer a salted caramel latte with an extra shot of espresso. Aaron couldn’t help but smile at that as he placed the necessary cash down on the counter and dropped two extra in the tip jar.

Spencer looked up moments later after digging around in his pocket. “You didn’t need to buy that for me,” he said, eyebrows scrunching in confusion.

Aaron just shrugged. “Just consider it payment for grooming my wings for me,” he said.

“But I’m supposed to, it’s the purpose of the class,” Spencer continued to argue, looking significantly more awake.

“Well then for spending today with me,” Aaron continued, leaning against the wall with a smirk on his face.

“I asked you,” Spencer said.

“I suggested coffee,” Aaron countered

“I’m sensing that I’m not going to win here, so thank you,” Spencer finally accepted and reached forward to pick up the coffee as the barista set it down on the counter.

“You’re welcome,” Aaron said, smiling as he grabbed his own and led the way out of the shop and towards the park.

Aaron took a deep breath as they stepped into the park, breathing in the scent of leaves and rain. It was a bit cool out, a slight breeze rustling the leaves still clinging on the trees, but Aaron was warm in his sweater and a hot beverage warming his hands and belly.

Spencer was wearing a sweater and a coat with a purple scarf wrapped around his neck, sipping cautiously at his drink.

“Nice weather. I think we’ll have a few more weeks of autumn before the first cold snap,” Aaron said, providing a new topic of conversation.

“I like this weather. I like wearing layers, that doesn’t exactly go unnoticed in the summer time. Plus my favorite holiday is right around the corner,” Spencer said, kicking a rock in his path.

“Halloween?” Aaron asked.

Spencer nodded.

“What makes it your favorite holiday?” Aaron asked curiously, rustling his feathers and watching some float away. His mating feathers were already coming in, but they came in patches so he could continue to fly.

“I’ve always been fascinated by the lore surrounding it. It’s evolved over many years and several different cultures celebrate differently. And there are always cheesy horror movies on and things to do. But, I suppose I really like it because it’s a holiday all about being something that you’re not,” Spencer said, shrugging and downing more of his coffee.

Aaron frowned slightly, considering that statement. He thought it was pretty personal and didn’t want Spencer to feel uncomfortable about sharing it, so he offered up something of his own. “I used to like Halloween when I was a kid. It was a holiday that got me out of the house. I didn’t have to put on a show for any relatives. And we lived in a rich neighborhood. They all gave out the best candy. Well, except for the few houses that tried to give out apples or toothpaste. Everyone learned to avoid them. I would be set on candy until the following summer,” Aaron said, looking over to see Spencer smiling over at him.

“What about now?” the younger man asked.

“I haven’t really been up for much recently. My best friend Haley dragged me out to a party my first year but after that I’ve just watched movies at home. Do you have plans this year?” Aaron asked.

“My roommates and I are planning on going to a haunted house and then home to tell stories and watch movies and gorge ourselves on as much candy as we can handle. Penelope and I are planning to dress up but Derek doesn’t really like Halloween that much. He’s bringing his friend Savannah. Do you think you’d like to come with? If you aren’t too attached to your movie marathon alone, that is,” Spencer suggested, reaching a hand up to fiddle with his scarf again.

Aaron really hoped that his excitement didn’t show on his face at Spencer suggesting they spend more time together, but he’s sure that his wings were more telling as they puffed up and brushed against Spencer’s back. “I’d love to. That sounds like a lot of fun,” he said with a soft smile.

"Well good. But you have to dress up. You're going to dress up aren't you?" Spencer asked and turned big doe eyes on him.

Aaron was taken aback for a moment. "Um, well. I haven't dressed up in a long time…" he hedged, but knew he'd never be able to say no to his mate when he was so excited. Though, an idea did occur to him. "I'll dress up, but I might need some help."

Spencer beamed at him. "Great! I've been looking for an excuse to go back to the Halloween store. I've been three times and don't want the employees to think I'm some creep. When are you free? I don't really have a lot going on except for studying, but I imagine you have a bit tighter schedule…Sorry, I'll shut up now," Spencer said, looking down at the cup in his hands.

It was then Aaron realized he'd been staring at Spencer with his eyes slightly wide and mouth hung open. The look was due to Spencer being so enthusiastic but Aaron saw now that Spencer hadn't understood that.

"No, sorry. I was just a little surprised at how eager you are to help me. There's nothing wrong with your enthusiasm for Halloween. In fact, I even find it charming," Aaron said with a sly grin.

Spencer choked on the last luke warm sip of his coffee. "Charming? I don't think that adjective has ever been used to describe me. Well, maybe once when I was five and wearing a hideous outfit that my mother told me looked 'charming' on me. But, thanks I guess."

Aaron glanced over out of the corner of his eye and saw a lovely shade of pink dusting Spencer's cheeks and ears.

"I'm free tomorrow, but if that's too soon then we could go after you're done with classes sometime. I'm off by 2:00 every day," Aaron said.

"Tomorrow is fine. If you're not afraid you'll get sick of me," Spencer said, and Aaron picked out the tone of truth in Spencer's voice. The younger man was genuinely worried about that.

"I don't think I'll ever tire of your company, Spencer. And I mean that truthfully. I know that we haven't known each other for very long, but I've enjoyed all the time I've spent with you," Aaron said seriously, stopping to look over at Spencer.

They looked at each other for a long moment before Spencer broke the eye contact. "Thank you, Aaron. That means a lot to me."

They continued to walk along in silence for a while, the air a bit awkward between them.

"Hey, don't go quiet on me now, genius," Aaron said, nudging him in the shoulder with one of his wings. "We have to brainstorm some ideas."

Spencer smiled hesitantly and nodded. He began listing some ideas and Aaron gave his opinion on each of the various Avian characters that Spencer suggested. They talked all day about whatever came to mind. They walked down by a pond and Aaron was very amused to see how the ducks flocked around Spencer. It seemed his mate attracted more than just one Avian.

Aaron helped Spencer brainstorm some ideas for his project and promised to help him with it more in the future. He even walked Spencer home, despite the brunet saying it wasn't necessary. Aaron insisted as he could get home faster with his wings so it really wasn't a bother. Aaron left Spencer at the door to his apartment complex with a squeeze to his shoulder before he took a few running steps and ascended into the sky.

His mind was awhirl. He'd had such a marvelous time with Spencer and he was seeing him again tomorrow. He was filled to the brim with courting ideas and he'd never felt happier in his life. He supposed the years of waiting and heartache were worth it. Spencer Reid was worth the wait.


End file.
